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In order to understanding what blogging is, it is best to begin by learning what a blog is. Blog is the contraction of two words “web” and “log”. A blog can be about many things, any thing, or nothing in particular. The most profitable blogs are very specific and directed to a very particular audience known as a niche. Blogging is essentially participating in the blog by contributing material to the blog. Most of the material in a blog will be some sort of combination of text, images, video, sound, and links to other blogs or related web pages.

There are exceptions to every rule though and the same holds true of blogs. There are blogs that are nothing more than daily comic strips, some that are used as a collection or portfolio of photographs, and even an interesting blog or two which is actually a novel that the blogger is writing online. Some blogs are self help blogs, others offer advice, and some seem to be the mindless ranting of the masses. Among all the chaos a new type of blog is emerging though and rising to the top of the heap. This would be the business blog.

Somewhere along the way it was discovered the blogs can bring in big bucks for the enterprising blogger. That is when the gold rush began. Suddenly everyone is blogging in an attempt to cash in before the golden cow goes belly up. The good news, for those who are just now jumping onto the blogging bandwagon is that this doesn't appear to be something that will be happening in the immediate future—bad economy or not. Blogs seems to be going stronger than ever before and profits continue to be made.

Corporate blogs are a different beast than many of the more casual blogs you will find littering the Internet. These blogs are an attempt by many companies to roll up their sleeves and loosen their ties a bit. In other words, it's an attempt to reach out and connect with the many on the street. It's a great way for big business to find out what the man on the street things about the company but only effective if changes are made according to what is learned through the blogging (and more importantly commenting) process.

If you aren't blogging yet, now is a great time to begin. Blogs can be started for absolutely no cost to you, and even set up to bring in Adsense revenue from the very beginning with Blogger, a popular blogging platform online. WordPress blogs are free if you have no intention of monetizing your blog (earning money from the blogging process), and there are some companies that will pay you to plug their products in your blog posts once you have had your blog up and running for a while. Blogging is a grand adventure for the explorer in you or a great way to make money for the entrepreneur waiting to get out and play.

When you are brand new to the world of blogging and operating on the most threadbare shoe strings money can buy it is very tempting to begin blogging with Blogger. In fact, many people do simply because you can monetize a Blogger blog right away. However, if you can at all afford to purchase a domain name and web hosting it is a good idea to begin the blogging process with WordPress and never realize the heartache of losing volumes of data while trying to switch later on. Many, many, many bloggers eventually make the painful decision to switch from Blogger to WordPress somewhere along the way.

In case you are wondering why they often choose to make this monumental switch, the answer is simple: benefits. There are actually quite a few benefits to using the WordPress blogging platform over blogger.

1The toys! It may sound a little bit unprofessional but there are many more toys, templates, widgets, and tools available for the WordPress user. While some of the toys are simply a lot of fun to play with, most of them have very real applications and benefits to bloggers. In other words, these toys impact profit and having them can help you make more money than trying to muddle through without them.

2Template options. In the world of business you want to be set apart from your competition. This is difficult to do with Blogger blogs that have a rather limited set of options when it comes to templates. The real beauty of many WordPress templates is that they are free. There are quite a few extras you can have if you are willing to pay for them though and some amazing resources for templates available online.

3Control. Face it. Some of us are control freaks. WordPress gives you more control over your blog than Blogger does. When it comes down to it, this is the dividing line for those who hate Blogger and those who love WordPress. Some people are willing to live with the limitations of Blogger because it is easier to use while others prefer the wider range of options available through WordPress. The price you pay for that control is the need to learn a little more before diving right in and purchase your own hosting and domain. It's a small price to pay, really, for the benefits of working with the WordPress blogging platform.

The decision to go with WordPress from the very beginning is not made by everyone. This is evidenced by the fact that there are so many Blogger blogs already with a steady supply of new blogs created on the Blogger platform daily. In the end, you are the one who will need to decide whether you are a Blogger blogger or more comfortable with the WordPress platform to get your message across. Many people are leaving Blogger behind each day for the promise of a better blog with WordPress. So, what kind of blogger are you?